Animal-trap.



L. HILDRETH.

' ANIMAL TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED oom?. 1912.

Patented May 13, 1913.

lEmL A annali/1to1 L. HILDRETH.

ANIMAL TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.17. 1912.

1,06 1,477. Patented May 13, 1913.

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COLUMBIA PLANQURAPN C0.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

UNTTED STATES PATENT FFICE.

LAWRENCE IIILDRE'IH, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.

ANIMAL-TRAP.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, LAWRENCE I-Itnonnrn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lexington, in the county oiE Fayette and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Animal- Traps; and I do declare the 'following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in animal traps.

One object of the invention is to provide an animal trap having means whereby the same will be reset by the animal caught therein when the animal passes through the trap and into t-he receiving cage thereof thereby permitting the trap to be used continuously until the cage is lled.

Another object is to provide a trap of this character which Will be simple, strong, durable and inexpensive in construction, etiicient and reliable in operation, and Well adapted to the purpose for which it is designed.

Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a perspective view o't' my improved animal trap; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof; Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. et is a similar view taken on the line 4c-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 5-5 o't Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a similar view taken on the line G-G of Fig. 2.

My improved trap comprises a main body portion l which may be ot' any suitable size and shape and constructed of any suitable material. In the present embodiment of the invention the body 1 is shown as being oi rectangular oblong shape and constructed of sheet metal. The body 1 of the trap is provided with a hinged top 2 which may be 'fastened in a closed position in any suitable manner. Connected with one side of the body oit' the trap is a receiving cage 3 into which the animals may pass from the body of the trap but -from which they cannot return to said body.

The body 1 is divided longitudinally by a vertical partition 4t into a bait compartment 5 and a passageway or runway G. In the Specification of Letters Patent.

AppIication filed October 17, 1912.

.Patented May 13,1913.

Serial No. 726,385.

upper portion ot the center of the compartment 5 is arranged a bait holding rack 7 bc neath which and hingedly supported above the bottom ot the trap is a treadle 8, preterably ribbed as at S to give it stiffness, and the purpose of this treadle will be hereina't'ter described. In the ends ot the compartment 5 are arranged partitions 9 which arc spaced a slight distance from the inner sides oit the adjacent portions of the ends of the body and in said partitions and the ad jacent ends oi" the body are formed alined inlet openings 10 through which the animals enter the trap. Arranged along the partition 1lin the compartment 5 and having its ends journaled in the ends of the compartment is a rock shaft 11 havingfixed thereto adjacent to the ends ot the body 1 door supporting and operating arms 12 to which are secured doors 13 which are adapted to work in the spaces between the partitions 9 and the adjacent ends oi. the body of the trap and which when the rock shaft. 11 is released will drop over the openings 10 tlms imprisoning the animal which has entered and sprung the trap. Fixed to the center of the rock shaft 11A is a short crank arm 14. which projects through a slot 15 in the partition 4- and into the passage or runway G. The end oit the crank arm is connected by a link 1G to one member 17 ot.' a catch, the opposite member 1S oit which is secured to the treadle 8 by means of which the catch is released in a manner hereinafter described.

The catch member 17 comprises a bar which extends across the passage (3 near the bottom thereof and has one end pivotally connected to a bracket 1f) secured to the bottom ot the trap. The free end oit the bar or catch member 17 projects through a slot 20 in the partition 4l and when the catch member is swung' downwardly to an operative position :tor rocking the shat't and holding the doors 13 open, is adapted to be engaged with the catch member 18 on the treadle S. rThe catch member 1S is in the form of a short upwardly projecting plate having on its upper end a short right angular lip Q1 with which the end of the catch member 17 is engaged when said Inembcr is -forced do\\*nwardly in the manner described and the treadle swung upwardly to a slight extent. The treadlc is preferably provided on its lower side with a light lea't spring 2'?. which yieldingly holds the treadle up in an operative position to permit the catch member 18 thereon to engage the catch membei` 17, and which will prevent the weight of the treadle from accidentally causing the disengagement of said catch members. When the catch members 17 and 18 have been engaged to support the doors in an open position as herein described, it will be seen that an animal entering the bait compartment 5 will in an effort to reach the bait on the rack 7 over the treadle, step on and depress the treadle thereby releasing the catch member which will allow the shaft 11 to rock and the doors 13 to drop to closed positions thereby confining the animal in the compartment 5. By providing the partitions 9 between. which and the ends of the compartment 5, the doors 13 operate, it will be seen that it will be impossible for the trapped animal to raise the doors and escape.

In order to provide for an automatic resetting of the trap after an animal has been caught an exit opening 23 is provided in the partition 4 near one end of the compartment 5 through which the trapped animal may pass into the passage or runway 6. In the passage or runway G is a false bottom 24 in the form of a plate which is arranged above and in engagement with the catch member 17 and is pivotally mounted near one end on a transverse shaft 25 secured atits ends in the partition 4: and adjacent side of the body 1. The shorter end of the false bottom 24 is disposed opposite to the exit opening 23 and is provided with a weight 211 whereby said end is normally held down in position to permit the animal to pass through the opening 23 and onto this end of the bottom 24. Arranged in the opposite end of the passage 6 is a stop lug 26 which limits the upward movement of this end of the bottom.

Arranged across the passage 6 a short distance beyond the opening 23 in the partition 1 is a drop door 27 which is preferably constructed from a sheet'metal plate having on the opposite edges of its upper end laterally projecting trunnions 28 which revolubly engage bearing apertures 29 in the side of the body 1 and in the partition 4. The plate is notched or slitted upward from its lower edge to form a seri-es of spaced sharp pointed bars to permit the animal entering the passage 6 through the opening 23 to see the opposite end of the passage. The drop door is supported in a slightly inclined position by a supporting lug 29 secured to the inner side of the body 1 as shown. In the side of the body at the opposite end of the assaOe G and communicating with the ca e 3 of the trap is an exit opening` 30 which is covered by a drop door 31 constructed in a similar manner to the drop door 27 and which is adapted to swing outwardly or into the cage to permit the animal to pass beneath the same from the passage 6 into the doors 13 to open positions.

cage. The door 31 operates in a frame or housing 32 which surrounds the opening 30 on the outer side of the trap and prevents any oi the animals in the cage from opening the door 31 and passing back into the passage 6. The door 31 is held in an operative position and the inner movement thereof limited by a stop pin 33 arranged in one side of the housing 32 surrounding the opening 30.

By constructing and arranging the false bottom 24 and the drop doors 27 and 31 in the passage 6 as herein shown and described, it will be seen that when the animal caught in the compartment 5 passes through the opening 23 into the passage 6 the weight of the animal on the false bottom 2-1 after passing beneath the vdoor 27 and into the opposite end of the passage 6, will depress or swing this end of the bottom downwardly thereby depressing the catch member 17 and rocking the shaft 11 which will swing the In thus depressing the catch member 17 theV freey end thereof will be sprung into engagement ,with the lip 21 of the Catch member 18 on the treadle 8 thereby fastening the rock shaft in position to hold the doors open until the treadle is again depressed and the catch members released by the next animal entering the trap. The animal after pass ing through the passage 6 and depressing the bottom 24 in the manner described will pass out through the opening 30 beneath the door 31 and int-o the cage l3 in which the animal will be confined by the drop door 31 which falls back into place after the animal has passed beneath the same as will be readily understood. As soon as the animal leaves the passage 6 and this end of the bot- `tom is relieved of the animals weight the weight at the opposite end of the bottom will again swing the same upwardly to an operativel position. It will be noted that the free end of the catch member 17 is beveled so that when said member is depressed by the bottom 24 the beveled end of said member will force the catch member 18 and the treadle back against the pressure of the treadle spring until the end of the catch member 17 is brought beneath the lip 21, whereupon the treadle spring will actuate the treadle and catch member 18 thereon to automatically engage the lip 21 with said beveled end of the catch member 17.

Having thus particularly described my invention what I claim is:

The herein described trap comprising a body divided by a longitudinal partition into a bait compartment and a passage way parallel therewith, the body having inlet openings into the ends of said compartment and an outlet opening out of one end of said passageway and said partition having an opening connect-ing the other end of the passageway with said compartment, a cage with which said outlet opening communientes, a drop door in this opening for checking` the return of the animals caught, a drop door in said passageway opening toward the first-named drop door, a Weighted false bottom in the passageway pivotally supported under this drop door, a catch member beneath the normally raised end of said false bottom, a rook shaft with which the moving end of said catch member is connected, doors carried by said rock shaft and adapted to close said inlet openings, transverse partitions in the bait compartment between which and the ends of this compartment the doors move, a treadle pivotally` mounted on the bottom of this compartment midway between said doors, and a second eateh member carried by the treadle and adapted to e0- operate with the first, the Whole constructed substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence oi two subscribing Witnesses,

LAVRENCE HILDRETH. Witnesses:

JOHANNA COLBERT, Jon. R. BRrr'rINGHAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents eatzh, by addressing the Commissioner of Patenti, Washington, D. C. 

